Thursday, December 31, 2009

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Yesterday, December 29, was Sara and Eric's Wedding. Here are some thoughts and pictures from the day.

It was kind of crazy at the temple--there was no parking (there must of been 10 weddings in that same hour) and the temple was flooding. A water pipe broke in the main entrance. We laughed about it, though, and everyone was there safe and sound. Once we got into the sealing room, the bride and groom came in looking so happy and peaceful. I looked at the faces there--all the siblings, the aunts and uncles, the grandparents, and realized what a special team we make, all cheering each other on as we strive to make good decisions and follow the Lord's will.

The wedding was, of course, amazing, and then we waited for the bride and groom in the damp entrance, with a couple other wedding parties. Fortunately, we were well organized, and able to welcome the bride and groom out, and take family pictures in a very expedited fashion. We were done in less than half an hour, which was super nice considering the cold and snow.

Then we had the luncheon, which was very pretty and very tasty. The kids enjoyed a chance to flex their legs--perhaps a bit too much--and we were grateful for some food. We took a slow drive home because of icy conditions and traffic, but everyone was safe. Both our kids zonked out, so we were happy to drive slower and let them sleep. I even got a little nap, which was very helpful.

Reception time! We had a minimal amount of setup, but because of the snowy icy roads, a lot of late people, so we couldn't start the pictures until about 10 minutes before the reception. Oh well. Safety was far more important. The reception was very pretty, and the pumpkin cheesecake divine (well, all the desserts were divine). Sara and Eric were very good looking and happy.We loved the dances at the end and all the happy moments. We sent Sara and Eric off in their decorated car, cleaned up, and went home to go to bed by around 9. We were exhausted, but very very happy. It was a fantastic day.

Santa Claus came! Cody actually woke up first, around 5. :P I tried to go back to sleep, but he kept getting in and out of bed and trying to wake me up. Considering I was still getting over a nasty cold, I wanted to sleep, but when the husband wants to get up, the wife doesn't get much choice. ;)

Anyway. We let the kids sleep until about 6:30, when Anna woke up and we went to get Lee. He was really excited about Christmas morning too. Every time he saw something new, he oohed and aahed in happy wonder. Even his "Sloss" was a very amazing gift to Lee! He kept telling us how happy he was that "Santa Claus and Golf the red nosed reindeer came!"

After opening our Santa gifts, our normal gifts, and calling Cody's family, we headed back to my parent's for the day. We had more gifts there, then simply superb eggs benedict (our traditional Christmas morning breakfast). In recent years my mom has learned how to make homemade sourdough English muffins. We make homemade hollandaise sauce, and have ham leftover from the night before. Cody knows how to perfectly poach the eggs so that they are as firm or soft as each person wants. Then, to top it all, my dad has a huge peppergrinder that puts a perfect dusting of fresh cracked pepper on it. Combine that with some fresh fruit from Santa Claus, a nice glass of OJ or eggnog, and life cannot get any better. I guarantee it. (It's probably just because we are all together and happy it is Christmas morning. Or maybe the Ghost of Christmas Present sprinkled some of his water on our meal.)

Then the day was filled with games, more cooking, a few projects, puzzles, our traditional rubber band gun fight, and ping-pong. For dinner we had roast, roasted vegetables, and yorkshire pudding. I even attempted a gluten-free Yorkshire Pudding that was very good. Yay for me!

So that was our rousing Christmas day, more or less. It was most wonderful to again spend the day with family, living and laughing and loving.